Local awareness of and attitudes towards the pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis in the Moa River Island Complex, Sierra Leone
Open accessAbstract
Abstract The pygmy hippopotamusChoeropsis liberiensisis an Endangered species found only in the Upper Guinea rainforests of West Africa. Using a two-phase approach, with initial semi-structured interviews followed by more extensive questionnaires, we examined local residents' awareness of and attitudes towards the pygmy hippopotamus along the Moa River near Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Sierra Leone. The interviews and questionnaires addressed human–hippopotamus interactions, local knowledge and awareness of pygmy hippopotamus ecology and behaviour, and public attitudes towards hippopotamus conservation. Overall, 22% of questionnaire respondents acknowledged benefits related to hippopotamus conservation; factors affecting the perception of benefits included age, livestock ownership, distance from Tiwai Island and exposure to conservation programmes. The results of this study could be used to inform the conservation of the pygmy hippopotamus and highlight the critical role of local support in the management of threatened species in biodiversity hotspots.
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Some of the pygmy hippopotamus decline was related to hunting for bushmeat and other purposes during times of internal conflict in the region.
“Some of this decline was related to hunting for bushmeat and other purposes during times of internal conflict in the region (Conway 2013, Conway et al. 2015).”
From Forest loss during 2000–2019 in pygmy hippopotamus (<i>Choeropsis liberiensis</i>) habitats was driven by shifting agriculture (2024) · cites this paper as Conway et al. 2015
The Introduction identifies poaching as a factor in pygmy hippo decline, and “Pygmy hippo ecology and human-hippo interactions” reports hunting and consumption of pygmy hippo meat. The paper mentions the civil war in “Local perceptions of the benefits of pygmy hippo conservation,” but does not link hunting or the decline to periods of internal conflict. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe pygmy hippopotamus is threatened by poaching and human-wildlife conflicts, although detailed data on the extent of these threats are lacking.
“The pygmy hippopotamus is also threatened by poaching and human-wildlife conflicts (e.g.Greengrass, ; Hillers & Muana, ; Koroma, ; Conway, ; Conway et al., ), although there are no detailed data concerning the extent of these threats.”
From A mix of community-based conservation and protected forests is needed for the survival of the Endangered pygmy hippopotamus<i>Choeropsis liberiensis</i> (2017) · cites this paper as Conway et al., 2015
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Hillers, A., Buchanan, G. M., Garteh, J. C., Tommy, S. M., Fofana, M. L., & Lindsell, J. A. (2017) · Oryx · doi:10.1017/s003060531600020x · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Erazo-Mera, E., Younes, N., Horwood, P. F., Paris, D., Paris, M., & Murray, N. (2024) · Environmental Conservation · doi:10.1017/s0376892923000310 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Conway, A. L., Hernandez, S. M., Carroll, J. P., Green, G. T., & Larson, L.
- Affiliations
- University of Georgia (US)
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Conway, April L.
- Venue
- Oryx
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2014-03-13
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 550-558
- ISSN
- 0030-6053 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-3008
- OpenAlex
- W2108873395
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4
- FWCI
- 1.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Oryx (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Fulbright Program
- University of Georgia
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
- Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Animal and Plant Science Education
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Keywords
- pygmy hippopotamus, Choeropsis liberiensis, local awareness, local knowledge, conservation benefits, endangered species conservation
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